Little Banana Beach, Skiathos, Greece

byDave Jackson

It is a green island with forests; abundant water and at least 60 large and small fine beaches, which stretch all along the south-facing coast. Skiathos town the capital and the main port of the island, offers a busy cosmopolitan life, numerous local taverns, ouzeris and cafes located at the harbor.

The character of the beach has developed over the years. It used to be difficult to get to and therefore only a handful of dedicated people would make the effort. Beaches, history, walking, cycling, water sports, festivals, food ecology: chances are if you want it, they’ve got it. Here are just a few of the incomparable offerings Greece’s islands hold.

Thirty years ago bathing was illegal there and now the country and islands have several hundred beaches used by unclad holidaymakers. France is well-known for its beaches, but we were slightly surprised that Greece came third – other countries such as Croatia have done far more to promote their holidays in the altogether,” said Nick Mayhew, author of the guide. The beach was always kept clean and raked. Whether you’re a windsurfer, a culture vulture, a toddler, a tightwad, or you just want to roll around in the sand, we’ve found the beach for you.

The beaches look wonderful and there is a strong scent of pine plus many varieties of herbs. This is an aspect that we always recollect about Skiathos and something of course that pictures can never convey. The beach is better known as Banana Beach because of its curve of bright yellow sand.

If you walk around the rocks at the far right end of the beach you’ll come to Little Banana Beach which is also nudist and has sun beds, shades and jet skis for hire. The village itself has a great little bay for cooling off; for those looking for a little more privacy, a short hike away is a lovely long and isolated beach; a perfect afternoon retreat.

Almiro is a small settlement by the sea with a clean pebbly beach and translucent waters. It’s like entering another country. On your way back you can visit Tsilivi beach or Saint Nicholas hill top. If you visit town at night, Arekia tavern is a very good choice to spend the night. No 1 being in town and the last number down at Koukounaries beach. There is also a small, white bus that goes to and from the Evaggelistria monastery and Chora.

There are hundreds of acres of sand dunes along this stretch of beach two miles long and almost a mile wide. The bare areas are well catered for, with sunbeds and umbrellas for hire: reintroduce your rarely exposed parts to sunlight slowly.

Koukounaries beach and Maratha beach next door are excellent. We used the very good local bus service to visit lots of restaurants and tavernas along its route into the main town. In northeast of the island are located a few restrained fishing villages with good adjacent beaches, such as Kassiopi and Agios Stefanos.

The best beach in the area is Kerasia, a long, quiet and very clean bay, with just one old tavern, but we like Little Banana, too.